Hold On To Me Before I Fade Away
by Kaorumi
Summary: Takumi just wants someone to believe him, no matter how freaking absurd he sounded
1. Chapter 1

Ahahahaha, well, I fell into Leokumi hell... Anyway, this beginning is supper vague for a reason. It's like a crossover with Natsume's Book of Friends with Fire Emblem characters... Well, same elements, but different story. Hope you like it!

DISCLAIMER: Nooooppe.

* * *

Takumi stands and he watches. Big sister holds his hand and she cries silently. Brother stands and cries openly. Little sister wraps her arms around his waist as she wails. He looks and sees Big brother standing strong. Yet Takumi knows Big brother's not that strong.

Takumi turns away and just watches. He sees the black box. People he knows crowd around it. He doesn't hear them as they talk. They sound sad and he doesn't understand.

A lady stands to the side and waves at him. Her smile is sad and he knows.

He smiles and waves back.

After all, he sees all.

._._._._.

Takumi's new. He stands to the side and waits. They call to him and he joins. He laughs, plays, and then says something weird.

Everything stops, so he stops, too. No one understands, but they begin to play again. He joins: he laughs, he plays, then sees something weird. They look and see none. He looks and sees all.

They play again and he plays with them. There's one extra.

It goes silent and he insists. He points. He warns. No one listens.

They back away and he stays. He sees and they don't. They don't want to play, so they leave.

He stays.

He's left alone and they play.

Without him.

Takumi stays and he sees all.

._._._._._.

The teacher catches his eye and Takumi ducks his head. He doesn't understand the words on the paper. He fidgets and picks up his pencil.

He makes up answers and hopes for the best. Takumi hands in his paper and smiles. The teacher smiles back and moves on. Takumi stops the teacher and says something weird.

The teacher looks and sees none. He points and sees one more. The teacher forgot one more.

The teacher shakes their head and say they didn't. Takumi insists they did.

No one believes him.

The teacher points to the door and everyone watches. They call him a liar and laugh at him. They call him desperate and dim.

Takumi leaves because he sees all.

._._._._._.

Big brother holds him tight and he sits there. He listens and waits. He hears words and he laughs. He nods.

Big brother says it's normal. He sees what others cannot. He's just special.

A treasure. A jewel.

But Takumi sees something. It's small. It's cute. It's fluffy. It smiles creepily. It stares intently. It leans forward.

It preys.

Takumi clings to big brother. He's scared and he does not voice it.

Big brother does not see and talks of dreams. He talks of happiness. He talks of fun.

Takumi cries inside.

He doesn't believe his brother, but smiles anyway.

Big brother tries. He can see that.

It doesn't help anyway.

Takumi closes his eyes and he still sees all.

* * *

Short, vague, I know. Tell me something I don't know. The next chapter is going to be in an actual story format.

Here's a Preview~!

 **He knew he shouldn't pick random things off the ground, but he couldn't help himself. Takumi looked once, then twice to make sure no one was looking, and bent down to pick up the weird looking ball of white fluff. He turned it around and a single, giant red eye stared back at him, wide eyed.**

 **And then it make a downright, bone chilling growl.**

 **Takumi paled, instantly regretting it, "Ah, shi-"**

See ya~

-Kaorumi


	2. Chapter 2

Annnnd the next chapter.

* * *

If there was one thing that Takumi learned to treasure, it was peace. If there was peace, then there was nothing strange happening. If there was nothing strange happening, then there was time to do homework. If there was time to do homework, then there was a happy family.

So, in general, peace was a great thing to have.

Takumi could almost cry in relief as he walked home from his first day at his new school. The moment he got to school that morning nothing popped up, nothing unusual happened and nothing strange talked to him. He stood awkwardly in front of the class as his new teacher introduced him, and still he saw nothing… "out of the ordinary". Even when he sat indifferently in class the entire day or got overwhelmed by his new classmates during lunch, nothing happened at all.

As soon as the bell rang, he found himself avoiding all of his classmates and walking home alone. To say that he was used to it wouldn't be a lie at all.

So, of course, he was damn near crying from the peace.

"Well, that was until he saw a little ball of white puff. A kitten, maybe?

He knew he shouldn't pick random things off the ground, but he couldn't help himself. Takumi looked once, then twice to make sure no one was looking, and bent down to pick up the weird looking ball of white fluff. He turned it around and a single, giant red eye stared back at him, wide eyed.

And then it made a downright, bone chilling growl.

Takumi paled, instantly regretting it, "Ah, shi-"

He didn't even finish his sentence as he practically dropped the ball of fuzz to the ground and took off. He leapt off the path side walk and dove into the nearby bushes, scrambling to get away. Takumi took one glance back and blenched.

That little fuzz ball steadily grew in size. Soon, little stubs emerged from the fuzz and formed into long, bony legs with tiny claws. The single eye grew as well, lolling around disgustingly as a snout formed below it.

Yup, definitely not a kitten.

 _"Inoka…"_

He didn't stay long enough for the yokai to finish transforming. Hell, he didn't want to know what it really was.

 _"Inoka…!"_

Takumi ran through the small patch of forest and felt his heart leap to his throat. He could already hear the damn thing racing after him.

A tree root snapped under his foot, causing him to tumble down a small hill. He cursed incoherently as he rolled all the way down and landed unceremoniously in a pathway.

Right in the way of a couple of students.

"Wah!"

"Watch it!"

Takumi shook his head and scrambled to his feet. He didn't really look at the students as he brushed his arms off and looked behind him.

"S-Sorry! Ah, I heard that there was a shrine nearby. Do you happen to know where it is?" he managed as he finally looked at the students. There was a girl with long hair tied into a high ponytail and a boy holding his bag over his shoulder. Takumi instantly recognized boy from his class, but the name didn't appear.

"A what?" The girl asked. Takumi could hear the yokai closing the distance.

"A shrine. Or a temple - Is there one nearby?" he asked again, casting a glance over his shoulder.

The boy pointed in a direction with a bit of confusion, "Well, there's one over there but it's — "

"Thanks!" Takumi took off, diving back into the bushes on the other side of the path. He searched for the shire or temple, which ever came first, as he ran. If he could just get to one, then he would be fine!

He started to notice that the ground sloped upward slightly, but he didn't bother to slow.

The forest suddenly broke into a clearing and Takumi nearly tripped in relief. There, right before him was definitely some old temple. He didn't think twice about how old and deteriorated it looked. He hurried over to the steps and reached for the door. He only caught a glimpse of the faded, chipped paint on the wood, noting that it looked like some bird of a sort.

The door budged for a second before it gave way to him. Dust fell off and coated Takumi's silver hair as he ran inside. He finally tripped inside and looked behind him. The yokai that followed him plowed through the trees and bounded toward him. Now that Takumi actually looked at it, he grimaced in nervous disgust.

The damned thing was similar to a wolf, or maybe a dog - he didn't know. It only had one eye; large, red and slitted like a snake. Its fur was now sleek and short, showing off its strong muscles. It opened its mouth, revealing its long, sharp teeth.

Down right disturbing if anyone asked him.

 _ **"Curse you, Ikona!"**_

The sound of its roar shook Takumi's frame, snapping him out of his observation. He quickly got up and slammed the door shut, right as it leapt at him. He fell back when the yokai slammed into the door. The yokai roared and scratched at the door, but thankfully, it stood in place.

Takumi took that time to move away from the door, dragging himself all the way to the furthest in the old temple - or was it shrine? Hell if he knew. All he was certain about was that he was safe.

He fell to his back and coughed as he tried to catch his breath, thanking whoever placed a seal on this place. He could still hear the yokai trying to scratch its way in and shivered at the thought of the door breaking.

Now that he was safe, how in the world was he getting out? He groaned at the thought of getting home late. It was only his third day in this new countryside town and already he was in trouble. To hell with it if his brother said that moving away from the city was a great idea.

Takumi suddenly felt something at his side and, out of curious habit, grabbed it. He heard a snap as he pulled a piece of bristled, old rope with a crinkly old paper charm attached to it. He looked at it for a moment and turned it over, noting that it was recently broken. He instantly paled when he heard something rattle behind him, joining with the sounds of scratching just outside.

"He slowly turned around to see a miniature shrine surrounded by an old, broken rope and paper charms, "Oh, hell no."

 _"The seal… it's broken? Well, thank you… human kit."_

The little doors shook as the air grew suddenly heavy. Takumi bit the back of his lip as he got up and moved to the center of the room. Dread began to fill him as the tiny shrine doors slammed open.

There was an awkward silence as Takumi stared. There, sitting innocently in the shrine, was a cute, fox-like dog stuff animal. He couldn't help but snort.

"Pfft, really? It's a—" he didn't have the chance to finish as a large gust of wind threw him off his feet. He couldn't get up as something stepped on his back, pinning him to the ground. There was a loud shriek and the door to the temple (or was it shrine?) broke.

Then all he heard were screeching and snapping. He looked up to see a large jaw crushing the one-eyed dog. His eyes looked right above him to see a huge, fox yokai growling angrily. His blood ran cold at the sight of blood dripping to the ground. The one-eyed dog's screeches died the moment the fox yokai snapped its jaws shut, completely obliterating the smaller yokai.

Takumi shook slightly as the fox craned its neck to stare at him. He had met some scary and dangerous yokai before, but never one that brutally murdered other yokai.

The pressure on his back was suddenly lifted, and Takumi forced himself to calmly sit up. He looked at the large yokai and nodded.

"Uhm… Thank you…" he said, blinking up at it. The fox stared at him for a second before crouching low with an… eyebrow raised…? A strong, male voice echoed around him.

 _"You seem awfully calm for a human child,"_ the fox said. Takumi gave it a flat look.

"I'm used to it," he deadpanned. It certainly wasn't a lie. He had seen enough to get a bit of a feel of it all, not that he wanted it in the first place, "Besides that, you're a pretty big fox yokai."

 _"I can be smaller if you'd like,"_ it said, narrowing its eyes.

"Noted," Takumi said, dusting himself off as he got up from the ground, "But really, thank you for saving me."

The fox yokai tilted its head, _"You're leaving, human kit?"_

Takumi walked back into the temple and retrieved his bag, slinging it on his shoulder, "Well, yeah. I have… homework to do."

 _"Homework? Child labor?"_

"Ahaha… something like that," Takumi laughed. He walked past the yokai and entered the clearing. The fox yokai got up as well, shaking its fur. Takumi couldn't help but feel a little unnerved when it padded next to him. He felt comically small, his own head only reaching the shoulders of the white and blue fox.

 _"How pitiful."_

"Why are you following me?" Takumi asked when he reached the other side of the clearing.

The fox lowered its head and puff a whiff of air in Takumi's face, who spluttered, _"You smell like someone I knew not too long ago."_

Takumi shook his head and backed away, "Really? I never been here before."

 _"If I remember correctly, it was a young human kit. A female,"_ the fox said, "She used to come by and visit, but she left one day and never came back."

"Well, I'm obviously not her."

 _"You don't have her hair color for certain."_

Takumi stopped when a thought occurred to him. Poking the fox's nose curiously, he stared at the yokai, "You're a weird yokai."

 _"So are you, kit."_ The fox seemed to be slyly grinning as it flicked its bushy tail from side to side, _"So are you."_

Takumi shook his head and began his trek down the hill he managed to run up. He took note that the fox sat, watching him as he walked away. Yet, Takumi knew that wouldn't be the last time he would see that fox.


	3. Chapter 3

**I don't think anyone's really reading this, but for the two who favorited, I'll keep writing this.**

* * *

Chapter 3: Silent Anxiety

The house was empty by the time Takumi made it home. He was a little put off by the lack of his older sibling, but then seeing the unpacked boxes scattered about the house reminded him that it wasn't very unusual. Instead, he decided to view it as an added bonus. His little run-in with the yokai got him a few scrapes and scratches that he needed to hide. Hence why he took the time to clean himself up before anyone else got home.

The less he worried Ryoma, the less likely the older would get a heart attack.

Takumi practically threw himself on top of his bed. It only had the bare minimum of a bed cover, a fluffy pillow, and a comforter (if one would ignore the cute, brown teddy bear at the corner of his bed). There were a few boxes (by a few it was only two small boxes) still unpacked stacked in a corner of his room and his closet was still barren.

He curled up on his side and ignored it, telling himself that he'd do it later. Takumi let out a sigh, slowly dozing in and out...

 _"It's a cute stuffed animal, kit."_

He immediately snapped his eyes open and sat up suddenly. He looked to his side and blinked. There, pawing at his teddy bear, was a cute, fox-like dog stuffed animal. If Takumi remembered correctly, it looked like the one he encountered earlier. If it was, Takumi was screwed. Its fluffy tail swayed back and forth in amusement as it sat on its haunches to stare at Takumi.

"What the hell?" said Takumi as he slowly scooted away, "You're that... that fox yokai I met earlier..."

The white fox tilted its head and seemingly smiled at him, _"Hello again, kit."_

Takumi slipped off his bed and backed away toward the door, keeping his eyes locked on the yokai, "Uhm... yeah. Hi. You followed me home?"

 _"Erm... not exactly,"_ the fox said, looking a little to the side. Takumi stopped for a moment to give it a pointed look. The fox squirmed in discomfort before completely turning away, _"So, I did."_

Takumi narrowed his eyes and placed a hand on the doorknob, ready to bolt if needed, "Why?"

The fox gave him a curious look, _"You interest me. Not once have you asked me to play a game with you."_

"Why would I play a game with you?" Takumi asked, raising an eyebrow.

 _"_ _A preference of how one protects itself, maybe,"_ The fox settled on its stomach on Takumi's bed and grinned... somehow. _"You see, you walked away before I could explain myself. But first, give me your name, kit, and I'll give you mine."_

"If I remember correctly, I'm not supposed to give my name to a yokai," Takumi deadpanned. The fox seemed to sigh and roll its eyes.

 _"Names are a powerful, yes I know. But please, I need to confirm something of importance,"_ the fox said with slight irritation.

"I won't give it to you," Takumi said firmly, shaking his head. He dropped his hand away from the door and walked back to his bed. He didn't give the fox a glance as he opened up the window, "Look if you're here to just peeve me, then get out. I don't have ti-"

 _"Do you know the name Inoka?"_ The fox interrupted, getting straight to the point. Takumi's hands were suddenly glued to the window frames and he froze. Memories of a red-haired woman holding him came flooding back. He could remember how she would hold him close as she whispered stories in his ears to lure him asleep. Then he remembered the one-eyed... something of a dog trying to eat him earlier.

Gritting his teeth, Takumi shook his head and glared at the fox.

"No. I don't. Now get out," he ordered. The fox just sat there, waving its tail.

 _"So you do,"_ it mused. Takumi didn't want to hear it as he grabbed the fox and practically threw it out of the window.

 _"Hey!"_

"Look, I don't know any 'Inoka' or whatever! Just go and leave me alone," Takumi snapped. He slammed the window shut and plopped back on his bed. So, he lied, but who cared? He didn't want to deal with it.

 _"It's rude to throw animals out of the window, you know."_

The voice was literally right next to him. Takumi groaned and blindly swiped at the damned fox, "Ugh, why can't you animal yokai be stuck outside like a normal animal?!"

 _"_ _I wouldn't be bothering you if you didn't throw me out in the first place! Just tell me if you know about 'Inoka' and I'll leave you alone."_

The finality in the fox's voice made Takumi stop for a second and finally looked up, "You will?"

The fox nodded, _"Yes."_

Takumi stared at it, "I don't believe you."

The fox threw its head upward and practically wailed in irritation, somehow annoying Takumi.

"Ahhhhh, okay, okay! Geez! I get it, I get it! Just shut up already!" he half yelled, clamping a hand around the fox's jaws. He enjoyed the moment the fox struggled against his grip before he let go. He sighed as the fox backed away a good distance, "Yes, I know the name Inoka. It's…"

The fox raised an eyebrow (how...? Takumi didn't know) to prompt him to continue. He lowered his gaze a bit.

"It's my mother's first name."

The fox's eyes comically widened, _"Oh dear."_

"What?" Takumi asked, finally looking at the fox.

 _"Did she leave you anything? Like a book or a scroll,"_ it urged. Takumi blinked.

"Uhm... I don't... think so," he said, trying to remember anything like that, "All I have of her is pressed flowers."

 _"_ _Pressed flowers?"_

Takumi was about to answer when the sound of a door opening was heard.

"I'm home!" a deep voice called.

"A-ah — Welcome home!" Takumi answered back, hastily getting off his bed. He paused at the door and looked to the fox, "Anyway, I gave you an answer, so leave me alone."

The door closed after Takumi, leaving the fox yokai to stare at the wood in slight horror.

._._._._._.

"So, how was school?"

Takumi looked up from his bowl of rice to his older brother. Ryoma was fit for his age, and his hair was red, and wild as it could possibly be. Takumi had remembered the hundreds of failed attempts he and his little sister tried to tame it. It looked odd to see his older brother wearing a white, somewhat frilly apron, but Takumi learned to get used to the sight over the years.

"It was alright," Takumi answered, "The school system is not so different from the last one. I'm a bit behind with the academic courses," Takumi didn't miss the frown on his brother's face and quickly added, "but I'll be able to catch up with the other students soon."

Ryoma gave him a smile, one that Takumi always aimed for.

"I was worried for a moment, but I'm sure you'll be alright," Ryoma said, reaching over to Takumi. He ruffled Takumi's bangs out of pure habit.

"Ah! Ryoma-nii!" Takumi complained as he chased away his hand. There was a faint smile on his face that his brother didn't miss.

"There's that smile," Ryoma said as he sat back down, pulling his hand away from Takumi. "Now, chin up, Takumi. Things will be better this time around. I'm sure of it."

Takumi bit on his tongue before he said anything. He honestly didn't believe his brother, considering the fox that got into his room and the — whatever the heck that dog thing was — that he ran into today.

"Come to think of it, did you 'see' anything today?" Ryoma asked, giving Takumi a look.

"…No," Takumi lied with a practiced smile, "I was fine today."

"That bruise on the back of your elbow tells me a different story," his older brother said. Takumi's eyes widened and he automatically checked. Sure enough, there was a faint, light purple bruise he could've sworn was never there before. He lowered his arm and looked at anywhere but Ryoma.

"I-I didn't know that was there! It's too light to really see it…" he said, his voice getting quiet.

"I've been doing this for years, Takumi. Don't think I wouldn't notice things like that," Ryoma chided, "How did you get that?"

"Ahahaha…. I fell down a hill?" Takumi said, more unsure than certain.

"How do you not know you fell down a hill?" Ryoma asked.

"Good question," Takumi said, putting down his bowl.

"Takum—" Ryoma didn't get to finish as Takumi got up suddenly.

"Wow! I'm full! Thank you so much, Ryoma-nii! It was really, really good! I got some homework to do, so I'll be upstairs!" he said, hastily getting out of the dining room.

"Hey! Don't you dare think you can get away like that!"

Then a phone suddenly rang, allowing Takumi to get to the stairs.

"That might be Hinoka-nee! Can't miss that!" he called over his shoulder before he bolted for his room.

"Takumi!"

He sighed a breath of relief when he made it to the safety of his room. At least that was what he hoped if the fox yokai wasn't there anymore.

Slightly panicked, Takumi switched on the lights and noted that his window was wide open. The cold air flowed through and he shivered. The fox was no longer in sight.

Suddenly, he felt tired from the events that had happened today. He dragged himself to his bed and once again, plopped himself on top. He was chased by some weird yokai, chatted with a fox type that stalked him home, and then his brother.

As much as he loved Ryoma, Takumi just wished that his older brother would just stop worrying. He was glad that his older brother knew about Takumi's 'sight', but he hated the fact that it caused so much trouble.

Especially to Ryoma.

His older brother had so much potential, so much promise. He was offered scholarships and was practically the best of the best. And yet, he gave it all up to care for his stupid little brother, who was out shined by all of his siblings. The little brother who lied and acted out to get attention. Even with all of that, Takumi's siblings knew better and, out of all of them, Ryoma took it upon himself to help him.

If only Takumi could just stop seeing all these things, then maybe… just maybe things would've been better.

Maybe his family wouldn't be so torn apart because of him.

Takumi stared at his school bag sitting innocently by his bed and suddenly remembered the thick packet of papers inside. He wasn't lying that he was behind in school, nor was he confident that he could catch up at all.

He sighed as he grabbed for the bag, silently pulling out the school work with a heavy frown. With one quick flip through the stack, he made one conclusion.

He was never going to catch up soon.


End file.
